Connecting device



. g- 9 D. E. OLSHEVSKY 2,125,396

CONNECTING DEVICE Filed May 4, 1955 wanna-m a Wm; N\ N /Z l 5 9 fins /0 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 2, 193 8" UNITED PATENT OFFICE The present invention relates generally to devices for'connectin-g a-plurality o1. members together, andmore particularly to devices for connecting together three or more members.

character, serious difllculties' have presented themselves when it was desired to disconnect one of several members connected together by an element extendingthrough all of said-mern-i bers and the-disconnection of one of said members hadto be effected without disturbing the respective positions of the remaining members. Such a difficulty presents itself, for'example, in acase where some kind of'structure 'is secured 1s extending-through the casing and supporting some other structure on the other side of said casing. In such acaseremoval oithe'screws in order to'separate one of said structureswould result in objectionable separation of the second of said structures. In cases where an outside structure, such as some kindoi' attachment or fitting, is to be separated from the mainassembly for the purpose of repairs, su'ch separation is so difiicult, that the entire main assembly may have to be taken to the repair shop, which would result in a great inconvenience and expense.

Accordingly one 01 the objects of the present invention is to provide novel means for connecting together three or more members'whereby separation of one of said members is permitted without disturbing orafiecting the positions 0 the other membersi The above'and other'object's and advantages 35 eithe invention will appear more-fully hereinafter from-the consideration of'the, detailed descriptionwhich fol1ows,.takentogether with-the accompanying drafwingiwherein one embodiment- Of the invention iS' illustrated. It is to be ex- 40' presslyunderstood; however; that the drawing is for the purpose oifillustration' and description only and is not designed asa definition oi the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

In' the drawing, wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several 1 views,-

Fig; 1 is a plan view of aportion oi casing to which two other members are'secured with the 50 aid ofthe" novel connecting device of the invention; r

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of one of the novel connecting devices, taken on line 2-201 Fig.1;

Fig. 3 is a similar view otthe connecting de- Heretofore,,in connection with devices of this members.

to'a casing by means oi. cap screws, said screws vice of Fig. 2 showing one of the members separated.

Referring to the drawing, the connecting device embodying the invention in the form shown comprises a parent connecting element which I extends through all members connected together,

and is adapted to engage the extremely located In the present embodimentv said parent connecting element is shown as a screwelement 4 having a head 5 and a threaded shank i, and'is provided with a cooperating washermember I. In the illustrated example, said screw-element 4 extends through and connects together three members designated as 8, 9 and I0; the inside member 9 being constituted by a casing to which the outside or extremely located member 8, a pressure fitting, is secured, said screw-element 4 supporting at the same time the other extremely located member I. inside of casing 9.

Elements 8, 9 and III are provided with holes arranged-in substantial alinement. The hole ll inthe fitting 8 is made of larger diameter than the diameter of the head 5, in consequence whereof the head 5 may pass through said hole ll unless it is restrained by the washer-member I. Saidhole II is counter-bored to a suitable depth to receive the washer-member 1 thus providing means operating to keep the hole H in a proper alinement with the holes in the members 9 and ID. The hole in the member S'is made of a suitable diameter to receive the shank 6 of the screw-member 4, but does not permit passing of the head 5. The hole in the member ID is providedwith an internal screw thread adapted to engage the externally threaded shank 6 of the screw-element 4, thus constituting means operating. to engage one extremity of the parent connecting element 4.

man assembled position, such as illustrated i in Fig. 2, the screw-element 4 is engaged by its threaded shank 6 into the internally threaded hole 01' the member I I), and inasmuch as washermember 1 supports head 5 of the screw-element 4 and does not permit same to pass through the hole Ii, all three members 8, 8 and I0 are firmly and securely held together.

Several of the novel connecting devices may be used in specific instances depending upon requirements. As shown in Fig. 1, iour'of them are used for fastening pressure fitting I and member "I to the casing 9. Referring to the construction shown in said Fig. 1, when it becomes necessary to remove the pressure fitting 8 without .disturbing the position of the member It! with respect to the member 9, such separation is efiected by disengaging the screw-element 4 from the internally threaded hole of the member III and taking it out, and then removing the washer-member I; whereupon the screw-member l is again inserted into the hole and, upon engaging its threaded portion into the threaded hole of the member II, it is tightened down, the head 5 pressing then ,directl'y'fi upo'n' the" member 9. A m:- washer |2 may be use-(1pm desired, when the screw-member l is re-inserted. should be understood that screw-elements 4,"! are not to be taken out all at the same time-but one at a time, so that when one of said screwelements is removed, the others remain in their places. After all of the iiVasher-inmbers l; 'l are thus removed in the above-described manner, the member 8 may be separated and the;

position of the member I l with'respect to the member 9 will not be afiected by such separation- There are thus provided novel means for connecting together three or more members wherebyseparation done of the extremely located members is possible without disturbing the relative positions of the remaining members. It is apparent that the novel connecting device of the invention maybe advantageously employed in numerous instances. It may be used, for example, for .fasteningpressure fittings to a directional gyroscope assembly; for attachng various brackets .to electric motor assemblies, particularly accessories to motor leads; for attaching shipping metal shields to glass windows held by screwed or bolted rings, without disassembling and ,by using bolts already present; for attaching special l;ns'es to standard optical units; and so on. It is to be expressly understood, however, thatthese adaptations are givensolely for the purpose of illustratingthe application of the novel connecting device to specific instances, and that they shall not be construed as giving a, definition of the limits oi the invention. Although only one embodiment oL the invention has been illustrated and described, other changes and modifications in the form and arrangementof parts, which will now appear to those skilled in the art, may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Ref erence is, therefore, to be had to the appended claims for a definition of the limits of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with three members adapted to be fastened together in contacting relationship and provided with holes having a common axis, the holes in one of the outside members being' tapped and the holes in the other outside member being of a larger. diameter than the di- 'may be removed after all the washenmembers ameterslot the holes in the other two members and counter-bored, and a plurality of connecting devices, each comprising a screw-element having a threaded shank for engaging the internal threads of one of said tapped holes and having a 5 slotted head adapted to pass rotatively into one of said enlarged holes, a. removable washer-member adapted to fit into the counter-bore of one of said enlarged h'oles dpera'ti'ng therewith to prevent-'said head from passing into said enlarged hole when all ,three members are to be fastened together, and operating to keep said serew element in the center of said enlarged hole,

said screw-elements being removable one at a time'for-removai 'of the associated washer-meml5 andbeingqreplaceable so that the heads thereof pass mm the enlarged holes in the other outside. member and contact the intermediate member, whereby the last-named outer member have been removed and the screw-elements have been reassembled with'the othertwo members.

2. In combination withthree members adapted to be connected together and provided with a plurality, of holes, the holes. of each member being arranged in substantial alignment withthe holes, of the other members, the'holes' in one ofthe outside members being providedv with internal screw threads and the holes of theother outside member being enlarged, aplurality cidevices for connecting said members together, each device comprising a screwelement that extends through the holes of the intermediate and said second-named outside memberi and into, the hole in said first-named outside member, said element being provided with a slotted head that has smaller transverse dimensions than said enlarged holes, said hole therebypermitting rotative movement of said head therein to a position where said head abutsthe intermediate member, said element having an external screw thread on its end remote from the head, adapted to engage the internally threaded holeof'said oneoutside member, and a removable element adapted, when in place, to prevent said head from passing into-said ,enlarged 45 hole. when the-three members are, to be fas tened together, the screw elements being remov able one at a time for removal of the associated removable elements and being replaceable so that the heads thereof passjinto, the enlarged holes in saidother outsidemember and abut the inter- I Y mediate member, whereby the said last-named outer member may be removed afterall of the removable elements have been removed and the screw elements have been reassembled with the other two members. I.

DIMITRY EUGENE OIQSHEVSKY. 

